What started out over a decade ago as Thanksgiving dinner for an "extended" family has grown into a community-wide Thanksgiving feast. This year will mark the 15th annual feast that was moved to the Mtn. View Bible Fellowship a few years ago after it outgrew its original location at the Notchtop Cafe. The local tradition was started in 2001. Don and Larraine Darling moved to Estes Park with their
children and realized they would be alone for Thanksgiving. Larraine, in particular, found Thanksgiving to be very difficult for her and wished, from that time, that no person should spend Thanksgiving alone in her new community. Having purchased the Notchtop Café provided her with a venue to have a small Thanksgiving dinner for those folks that would enjoy a community gathering. Steve Misch and Larraine teamed up to facilitate the event for the first time in 2001, with the generous support of Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary. Misch said "a full Thanksgiving feast was prepared and a 'few' folks showed up." After the success of the first feast, Larraine and Misch decided to commit to another year. With a growing success, the feast was moved to the Hangar Restaurant in 2004. The next year, it was moved to its current location at the Mt. View Bible Fellowship on Hwy. 7. Advertisement
"In 2005, we received an invitation from the Mountain View Bible Fellowship to utilize their gymnasium for the event. We gladly accepted their offer, as the Hangar was no longer available, a real answer to our prayers," said Misch. The "feast" took on a new look, as entertainment was introduced. This year's feast begins at 11:30 a.m. and runs to 3 p.m. "Make your Thanksgiving plans to enjoy the 15th annual Thanksgiving Community Gathering and Feast...Come one , Come all," said Misch. "You will be entertained, served and celebrated by your community in the the true tradition of Thanksgiving...feast, friendship, family and fun. "In addition, if you would care to support the gathering in a unique way, consider bringing a "homemade goodie" to the homemade goodie sale table. This is such a popular part of the gathering and the monies donated for these goodies help defray the costs of the gathering so it continues to be no cost to the attendees. If interested, bring your goodies in a disposable container to the Mountain View gym on Weds afternoon(day before Thanksgiving)or Thanksgiving morning before 11 a.m.it would be so appreciated."
